I have had the privilege of being an engineer who worked on both the Apollo and Space Shuttle Orbiter Programs for more than forty-five years. It has been a fascinating and rewarding experience, along with its share of pressures and disappointments. Come take this exciting journey with me.
In this book, I present the contributions of thirty key scientists who, over a period of 2,500 years, made the Moon visit possible in my lifetime. I review the birth of the Space Age, early Russian dominance in the sixties, and the successful landing on the Moon. The details of the failure analyses of the Apollo Fire, which cost the lives of three Apollo astronauts, are presented, along with the corrective actions taken. I cover the contribution of the Mercury and Gemini programs, the details of the design of the Apollo and the greatest material challenges we faced. The book also describes the Lunar Module; without its concept, we may have never made the Moon landings. The book details how we beat the Russians to the Moon, covers all Apollo missions, and how we saved the Apollo 13 astronauts. Finally, I present what I consider to be the Apollo legacy.
